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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Five Guys has ruined me for other 'fast food' burgers. The burgers there are tasty and fresh, a handful of happiness. I use the term fast food carefully since everything is made fresh, so it does take a few minutes. The short wait is worth it though.

The Five Guys in Brookfield is on Federal Road, just up from the Stew Leonard's so we decided to go eat first, then do some grocery shopping. We changed our mind when the Five Guys lot was full so we shopped first and tried it again. This time there were a couple of spots available, but there was quite the crowd inside. It isn't as big as the one in Poughkeepsie since it is an old diner that's been converted, causing an odd interior. The food, however, was every bit as good though.

This time we decided to try the regular Five Guys fries instead of the cajun fries. They were good, but bland compared to the spicy ones. I had two little cheeseburgers with pickles and Teresa had a little burger with onions. Plenty of good food for a little over eighteen bucks with a soda.

I may start planning trips revolving around Five Guys locations, at least until they put one in Newburgh. If you haven't tried Five Guys yet, shut down the computer and take a drive. You can find their locations on the company website.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

West Chester Pennsylvania is a neat little place. A college town with interesting stores and lots of places to eat. My favorite is the Iron Hill Brewery on 3 West Gay Street. We were there about a year ago and I remembered it as being really good, so when we were discussing dinner options and Iron Hill came up, I voiced my opinion. So Teresa and I, Nicole and Brian, and our friends Annette and Rob headed off for dinner.

Now I rate a restaurant on food quality, food quantity, service, price, and ambiance. Not necessarily in that order. In this case I'd rate the service as top-notch. We called ahead and put our name on the list, a good idea for any popular place, and only had to wait five minutes after we got there. They seated us in a booth. Problem was that my daughter is eight months pregnant, and a couple of us are in the extra large category. My wife asked for a table, and the manager got us one right away. The waitress also turned off the fan above us at our request. Orders were taken promptly and the food, and beer arrived fast and hot, Not the beer, that was nice and cold. I'm sorry I forgot our waitresses' name because she was awesome.

About the food, it's good and reasonably priced. Normally I'd get the burger, but I'd already eaten two that day, so I opted for the fish and chips. I picked up a taste for them when I was in England and I've found fish and chips to be better here. Iron Hill makes a good fish and chips, please note the picture above. Rob had the chicken pot pie, baked in a bowl with only a top crust. He liked it. Annette had the salmon burger, looked great and she said it tasted great too. Brian had a burger and Teresa had something off the special list and Nicole had a wrap. Everyone was quite full, and happy.

And the beer. I had the Ryesing, and American rye IPA with a slight hoppy taste and a hint of citrus flavor. Nice and refreshing. So much so that we left with a growler. Brian had the Heater Room, a brown ale with a smokey taste. They make some good beers here and there is something about a fresh beer with no preservatives in it. It just tastes cleaner.

And since we're hitting all of the criteria here, Iron Hill has a nice ambiance. Lots of wood, fairly bright, and you can even look into the food prep area, at least from where we were sitting. I like a restaurant that puts it all out there. Nothing to hid.

You really have to try this place sometime. They have a few other locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. For more information check out their website.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I like Indian food. The problem is that I don't know much about it, so I never know what to order. The solution? Buffet. I've had a few Indian buffets before, but the best so far is in New Paltz at the New Paltz Indian Restaurant on North Manheim Blvd.

We had food from here a few weeks ago when we were invited to a surprise birthday party for our friend Amy. Her friend, Gina, ordered the food from here and I helped her pick it up. While there I noted a sign announcing that on Tuesdays they have a buffet for $12.95. I cataloged that in my memory and after eating the food at the party decided we had to try it. By the way, we got to take home the plum sauce and the cilantro seasoning from the party. The plum sauce made a fine marinade for pork chops and chicken. The spicy cilantro sauce made a delicious chicken marinade.

Anyway, my wife and son and I went there this Tuesday and it was good. Fresh, hot nan bread, papadum (lentil wafers) and various samosas to start. Follow this with Tandoori chicken, Shrimp Korma (my favorite), chicken curry, and some great basmati rice, plus a whole lot more. Everything was delicious, fresh and hot.

Great food, friendly people, good service, and a reasonable price. We'll be headed back soon and you should pay them a visit too. Check out their website for menu and directions. Oh, they have one opening soon in Kingston.

Love in the Ashes- My latest novel

The mine fires in Chelsea Brook drove the residents out and attracted two new groups of people. One is a group of moonshiners who look at the village as a place away from the prying eyes of strangers, and the law. The second group is a religious cult whose leader believes they are praying at the gates of Hell. The two groups live in an uneasy peace until Rebecca, the daughter of the cult leader, and Tim, the son of the Moonshiner leader, fall in love. The problem is that another man has eyes on Rebecca, a strange young man named Micah who wants to control the cult.

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About the blog

My reviews are of simple food at places regular people go.

The primary region is the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York, that’s where I live and eat. I do travel quite a bit though, so there will be reviews from all over, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and a whole lot more.

My qualifications? I grew up in a restaurant. I like to cook. I like to eat. My wife and I go out at least twice a week.

I want to pass on what I like, and warn you if I don't like something. But take what I say as what it's worth, simply my opinions. You may disagree, and that's okay.